Stateline.org RSS - Crime & Courts

TX: Perry rejects clemency in death penalty case

By Mike Ward

Rejecting a rare recommendation to commute a death sentence, Gov. Rick Perry refused Thursday to stop the execution of a man convicted of murder for his role in the 1996 shooting death of a Houston convenience store clerk. Less than an hour later, Robert Lee Thompson, 34, was executed at a state prison in Huntsville.

NY: For Bruno, how Albany works is also on trial

By Nicholas Confessore

The longtime secretary for one of the most powerful politicians in New York spent as much time on his private business, handling bills and correspondence, as she did on his public duties, like arranging meetings with lawmakers.

AK: Alaska's high court hears predator control case

By Mary Pemberton, The Associated Press

Opponents of Alaska's predator control program were in the Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday arguing that the program violates the state constitution.

AL: Judge named to hear suit over state computer contract

By Bob Lowry

Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb on Thursday appointed a Jefferson County judge to hear a lawsuit filed by a legislative committee trying to block a $13 million no-bid computer contract.

AL: Mobile County Democrats suit dismissed; court action challenged chapter dissolution

By Sean Reilly

MOBILE, Ala. -- Mobile County Circuit Judge Rick Stout has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Alabama Democratic Party's decision to dissolve its Mobile County chapter earlier this year.

AL: Baldwin's new coroner officially appointed by governor

By Craig Myers

ROBERTSDALE, Ala. -- After two months as interim Baldwin County coroner, Stan Vinson has been officially appointed by Gov. Bob Riley, he and other local officials said.

AR: Board OKs beer, wine sales at Fayetteville Walmart stores

By John Lyon

The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Thursday approved beer and small-farm wine permits for a Walmart Neighborhood Market and a Walmart Supercenter in Fayetteville, the first grocery stores in the city to be approved for alcohol sales.

AZ: Speed-camera critic takes on industry rep

By Luci Scott

A foe and a proponent of photo enforcement squared off in a public forum Thursday.

CA: California, Sacramento County to probe in-home care

By Susan Ferriss

California teamed with Sacramento County officials Thursday to launch a first-in-the-state multi-agency task force to investigate fraud in In-Home Supportive Services. The program could benefit from the state budget approved last July that included $10 million to bolster anti-fraud efforts in the rapidly growing in-home care program.

CA: California lawmakers, officials face 18% pay cut

By Patrick McGreevy

California's Legislature went to state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown recently seeking relief from a future pay cut and on Thursday received an unwelcome surprise: An 18% reduction for lawmakers and other elected state officials can begin next month instead of a year from now.

CO: U.S. attorney nominee Villafuerte denies any role in accessing restricted database

By Karen Crummy

President Barack Obama's nominee to be Colorado's next U.S. attorney has denied any involvement in the access of a restricted federal database to help Bill Ritter's 2006 campaign for governor.

CT: Connecticut gets federal grant to buy video conferencing equipment for prisons, courthouses

By Shawn R. Beals

Two federal grants will allow the state Department of Correction to buy video conferencing equipment to cut down on the number of inmates transported to state courthouses.

CT: Lawmaker stopped again for using cell phone in car

By The Associated Press

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- A Connecticut lawmaker says he's paid more than $390 in fines and his driver's license has been reinstated after he was pulled over by police a second time for illegally using a cell phone while driving.

DE: Correction Department alerts Delaware to crowding crisis

By James Merriweather

Crowding at Baylor Women's Correctional Institution near New Castle, the state's only women's prison, could become a crisis even if there's a relatively small spike in crime, Corrections Commissioner Carl C. Danberg told state budget writers Thursday.

FL: As the South Florida economy slows, so do divorces

By Julie Kay

MIAMI -- With the economy sputtering, South Florida couples are staying together more or attempting do-it-yourself divorces rather than paying pricey divorce lawyers.

FL: Victim in `juice scam' never met alleged villain Scott Rothstein

By Amy Sherman and Jay Weaver

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Coconut Grove businessman says he invested $2.16 million with Scott Rothstein after a friend solicited him to buy into a high-profit deal -- that returned nothing.

FL: Broward grand jury recommend pain clinic reforms

By Scott Hiaasen

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Broward County grand jury issued a damning report Thursday bemoaning the explosion of illegal painkillers sold through Broward pain clinics -- and warning that reforms passed by the Legislature may not be enough.

GA: Adelman nominated ambassador to Singapore

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

State Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta) has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore, the White House announced late Thursday.

IA: Harkins supports plan to move detainees to Illinois prison

By James Q. Lynch

The Iowa Democrat told reporters Thursday he has to learn more about the proposal and the maximum security prison at Thomson, Ill., but sees no reason to oppose it.

IA: Iowa grand jury indicts Minnesota man on animal terrorism charge

By Michael J. Crumb, The Associated Press

A Minneapolis man has been indicted on animal terrorism charges in Iowa, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

ID: ITD hires new director

By Ben Botkin

The Idaho Transportation Department has a new director, just days after the former director sued the state agency over her firing.

IL: State GOP tones down heat on Gitmo

By Joseph Ryan

Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, seized on the attacks as fear mongering as they tried to sell the deal in a series of news conferences around northern Illinois.

IL: New trial ordered for man in 1992 Lakeview slaying

By Steve Schmadeke

The Illinois Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Salvador Ortiz for a 1992 gang-related Lakeview slaying that drew attention after Ortiz's mother, who became a community activist and advocate for her son's case, died in police custody in 2004 after being arrested on drug charges.

IL: Exclusive -- Most sex offenders in nursing homes aren't registered

By Brian Boyer and Jared Hopkins

But only 59 of the 192 sex offenders in Illinois nursing homes -- or less than one in three -- were listed on that online state registry, a Tribune investigation found.

IN: Hamilton is confirmed for seat on appeals court

By Maureen Groppe

Conservatives criticized some of Hamilton's rulings, calling him an activist judge whose personal views influence his decisions.

IN: DOC defends pilot program reducing lunches at Plainfield Correctional Facility

By John Tuohy

The medium security prison in Hendricks County has eliminated lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays -- part of a pilot program that could go statewide.

KY: Nunn pleads not guilty to Fayette murder charge

By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

Former lawmaker Steve Nunn pleaded not guilty Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court to charges stemming from the shooting death of Amanda Ross, his ex-fianc?e.

KY: Senate hopefuls squabble about terrorism, coal

By Jack Brammer

LOUISVILLE — Republicans Trey Grayson and Rand Paul exchanged sharp words on the issue of GuantÃ¡namo Bay, and Democrats Jack Conway and Daniel Mongiardo squabbled about their alliances with coal.

LA: In New Orleans, elation over Katrina liability ruling

By Campbell Robertson

NEW ORLEANS — Since the first days after Hurricane Katrina, when the streets were still under water, many residents of New Orleans and its surroundings have maintained that the flood that wrecked their lives was the government's fault, and that the government should pay for it.

MA: Gov. Deval Patrick to Legislature -- Get back to work

By Hillary Chabot

A steamed Gov. Deval Patrick slammed lawmakers yesterday for abruptly clocking out and taking an early holiday break as pending education and crime reforms along with budget cuts hang in the balance.

MD: Dixon's fate in jurors' hands

By Julie Bykowicz and Annie Linskey

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Twelve Baltimore residents are now deciding the fate of Mayor Sheila Dixon, who stands accused of five criminal charges involving theft or embezzlement of gift cards. The jurors deliberated for about four hours Thursday, sending the judge several questions before the end of the day.

ME: New budget woes may shut down rural courthouses

By Kevin Miller

Maine's chief justice said Thursday that she is hopeful the judicial branch can find ways to weather the next round of deep budget cuts without closing courthouses in rural areas of the state.

ME: Maine high court rules against ATV rider

By The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine's highest court has overturned a lower court judge's ruling that a state law that authorized game wardens to stop all-terrain vehicle operators without cause was unconstitutional.

MI: State Senate majority leader issues letter to Obama, says "No" on Gitmo

By Kayla Habermehl

State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, asked other elected officials to join him in saying "No" to bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees to the U.S.

MN: Sixth area Somali man is indicted in probe

By James Walsh, Richard Meryhew and Allie Shah

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The suspect is linked to other young men recruited to train and fight in Somalia.

MO: Mo. public defender system topic at attorney forum

By The Associated Press

Missouri's public defender system is expected to be a hot topic of discussion Friday as attorneys convene in Jefferson City.

MO: Missouri pensions board will select law firms for suits

By Virginia Young

Rejecting allegations that they were setting up a "pay-to-play" system, Missouri officials laid the groundwork Thursday for filing lawsuits to recoup investment losses by the state's pension plan.

MS: Miss. high court tosses out wrongful death award

By The Associated Press

A $75,000 award to a family who claimed Lisa Williams' death resulted from Laurel police officers' failure to arrest Kenneth Wilson after two distrubance calls has been thrown out by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

MS: Miss. levee board sues EPA over flood project

By The Associated Press

GREENVILLE, Miss. -- Environmental groups have intervened in a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi levee board over the Environmental Protection Agency's veto of a $220 million flood control project that dates back decades.

MS: Victims' kin in civil-rights era cases sought

By Jerry Mitchell

The FBI is seeking to find family members of 33 people slain during the civil rights movement. A third of those killings took place in Mississippi, including that of Jimmie Lee Griffin, whose body was discovered on a highway near Sturgis on Sept. 24, 1965.

NC: Prisoners allege sex abuse

By Mandy Locke

Four female inmates have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing North Carolina prison officials of subjecting female prisoners to extensive sexual violence and harassment amounting to cruel and unusual punishment.

NC: Perdue rethinks life terms

By Mandy Locke

Gov. Beverly Perdue's third take: Prison officials never doled out credits for good behavior to those sentenced to life in the 1970s. It's the latest position Perdue's administration has taken on the question of freedom for dozens of inmates convicted of murder, rape and robbery more than three decades ago.

NC: Stam sees a chance for eminent domain bill

By Benjamin Niolet and Rob Christensen

The departure of state Sen. Tony Rand has a lot of people wondering how the Senate will operate without the powerful master of rules, legislative maneuvers and hardball politics. It even has state Rep. Paul Stam wondering whether he'll finally get a favorite bill passed in the Senate.

ND: AG -- State will seek dismissal of suit over Sioux nickname

By Tu-Uyen Tran

MINOT, N.D. -- Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said Thursday that he will ask the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the State Board of Higher Education over UND's Fighting Sioux nickname.

NE: As pressure mounts, McClurg mum on stem cell vote

By Melissa Lee

The man who holds the pivotal vote in today's embryonic stem cell research showdown is prepared to make a difficult decision.

NE: UNL and witch settle lawsuit

By The Associated Press

A woman who sued the University of Nebraska last year, saying the school fired her because she is a witch, has agreed to settle the case for $40,000.

NE: State patrol asking motorists to buckle up

By The Associated Press

The Nebraska State Patrol will be stepping up enforcement as part of a national campaign emphasizing seat belt use and keeping holiday travelers safe.

NJ: Colleges spot chance to fight sexual assault

By Staff Reports

On college campuses across the state, students mix in dormitories and mingle at parties, but experts say they remain dangerously shy about confronting the warning signs of sexual assault.

NM: Questions surround State Investment Council money manager

By Trip Jennings

Hassan Nemazee, a longtime Democratic moneyman, was arrested last August and later accused of perpetrating a $292 million Ponzi scheme.

NV: Lawmakers defer action on prison furlough plan

By Geoff Dornan

The Interim Finance Committee on Thursday deferred action on a plan to allow the Department of Corrections to avoid furloughs.

NV: Regulators holding off to let court rule in Watanabe case

By Jeff German

Back in May, a high roller went public with his allegations that Harrah's Entertainment not only kept him drunk but provided him drugs to induce his massive gambling losses.

NY: Gay couple rights OK'd by state's top court

By Joseph Spector

In a case that mirrors a Rochester-area decision, the state's top court on Thursday upheld the rights of Westchester County and the state to legally extend benefits to same-sex couples married in other states.

NY: Pork politics key to Bruno reign

By James M. Odato

Under Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno's rule, $85 million a year in discretionary funds known as member items were doled out by senators with political considerations in mind, a high-level Senate aide said Thursday under oath in Bruno's federal criminal trial.

OH: Bill aims to help workers due pay

By Jim Siegel

Senate Democrats say it's time to expand the state's ability to investigate and resolve instances in which workers are not paid wages owed them.

OH: Republican duo says new Ohio casinos need proper regulations, no felons

By Aaron Marshall

So they are proposing what they see as sensible regulations for Ohio's casinos that include background checks on owners and key employees designed to bar felons from being involved in Ohio's newest foray into gambling.

OH: Ohio public defender launches new non-DNA innocence initiative

By The Associated Press

Ohio's top public defender is taking on a rare challenge: accepting cases of convicted criminals who say they're innocent but don't have the DNA to prove it.

OH: Slot-like machines in a legal muddle

By James Nash

Attorney General Richard Cordray's office insists that it cannot decide whether slot-like Sweepstakes machines are legal in Ohio because courts haven't ruled on the devices.

OH: Strickland vows to punish domestic abusers

By Mike Wagner

In response to a Dispatch investigation that showed Ohio's tolerance of and indifference toward domestic violence, Strickland called for a sweeping examination of, and reforms to, Ohio's approach to the crime.

OH: Casino campaign worker indicted for voter fraud

By James Nash

A Franklin County grand jury indicted a campaign worker yesterday, accusing her of falsifying two applications for absentee ballots in this month's casino election.

OK: Cheyenne, Arapaho Gov. Darrell Flyingman avoids offices amid protests

By Johnny Johnson

CONCHO, Okla. — About two dozen tribal members gathered outside the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes' headquarters Thursday to prevent outgoing tribal Gov. Darrell Flyingman from entering the building.

OK: Oklahoma chided for litter-trial additions

By Robert J. Smith

U.S. District Judge Greg Frizzell on Thursday chastised an attorney working for the state of Oklahoma for overloading its poultry-litter lawsuit with paperwork.

OR: Raid of LA counterfeit distributors stemmed from OR inquiry

By Maxine Bernstein

Law enforcement in Los Angeles County announced today they made more than 60 arrests and seized more than $18 million in counterfeit merchandise, resulting from an investigation that began in Oregon.

OR: State issues alert on seven children's products.

By Lynne Terry

Oregon authorities alerted the public on Thursday that seven products for children sold in Target, Wal-Mart and other big retailers contain excessive amounts of lead.

OR: Oregon OKs $20 million settlement in college savings plan suit

By Brent Hunsberger

Thousands of investors in Oregon's hard-hit college savings plan will recoup some of their losses under the terms of a $20 million legal settlement approved Thursday.

OR: regon OKs $20 million settlement in college savings plan suit

By Brent Hunsberger

Thousands of investors in Oregon's hard-hit college savings plan will recoup some of their losses under the terms of a $20 million legal settlement approved Thursday.

OR: Oregon State Police to pay Shilo Inns owner over hunting tag case

By Richard Cockle

LA GRANDE, Ore. -- Three years ago, multimillionaire hotel chain owner Mark Hemstreet and his wife, Shannon, faced 19 citations for alleged game violations on their Wallowa County ranch.

PA: Rendell revises gaming claim

By Brad Bumsted

Gov. Ed Rendell on Thursday backed off his claim the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office investigated the state gambling board's award of slot licenses in 2006 and found nothing.

SC: Sanford relents on ethics report

By Staff and Wire Reports

Gov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to remove the last hurdle to a long-delayed House of Representatives impeachment investigation of his travel and campaign expenses.

SC: Ethics panel votes to charge Sanford

By John O'Connor

Gov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to remove the last hurdle to a long-delayed House of Representatives impeachment investigation of his travel and campaign expenses.

SC: Harrell promised copy of Gov. Sanford ethics investigation report

By Tim Smith

Some lawmakers want to see more detail about ethics charges facing Gov. Mark Sanford before making up their minds, while others say they are disturbed by the State Ethics Commission's finding that the governor violated state ethics laws in his travels and campaign expenses.

SD: Pricey fight over ban expected

By Peter Harriman

Backers of a statewide smoking ban say they expect to be outspent by opponents in what's expected to be a hard-fought campaign after deciding Thursday not to appeal a judge's ruling.

TN: TN guns-in-bars law back in court

By The Associated Press

A law that allows handguns in Tennessee bars and restaurants is being challenged once again in court.

TX: Settlement delay costs HISD $82 million

By Ericka Mellon

Houston ISD schools have gone without at least $82 million for technology upgrades while the district is under federal investigation for questionable deals with computer equipment vendors.

UT: Abortion bill approved by Utah legislative committee

By James Thalman

A bill that would make seeking an illegal abortion a second-degree felony as well as remove any immunity for Utah women seeking illegal abortions was approved by a legislative committee Wednesday morning.

VT: Feds hit farms looking for illegal immigrants

By Sam Hemingway

Federal immigration officials served subpoenas on at least four Vermont dairy farms Thursday as part of a national crackdown on businesses suspected of using immigrant workers who have entered the country illegally.

WA: Feds -- 6 illegal immigrants arrested in Wash.

By The Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Immigration officials say six illegal immigrants have been arrested in Mount Vernon, Wash., after agents descended on a trailer park.

WA: Man gets $4 million after jail beating

By Staff Reports

A man who suffered permanent brain damage from a beating by his cellmate at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton has received a $4 million settlement from the Washington State Department of Corrections.

WA: Criminal deportations spike in Pacific Northwest

By Manuel Valdes, The Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records from Alaska, Oregon, and Washington this past year spiked by nearly 40 percent, while overall removals dropped for the first time in five years, according to new data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

WI: Suit over search-engine keywords tries new angle

By Dinesh Ramde

A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's.

WV: W.Va. lawmakers mull ruling on e-mail secrecy

By The Associated Press

A state Supreme Court justice says West Virginia's Freedom of Information laws are too narrow to fully serve the public's right to know, and some lawmakers are willing to look at changing the code.

WY: Committee passes two juvenile detention bills

By Michael Van Cassell

Legislators could consider two bills next year aimed at creating uniformity for how juvenile offenders are handled in Wyoming.

Visit the Stateline.org Crime & Courts Page